His Purpose, His Provision
Luke 22:35, NKJV – And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?” So they said, “Nothing.”
The first thing we learn about God is His Fatherhood, and rightly so because by virtue of salvation and what Jesus did on the cross, we have become children of God. As Apostle John puts it in John 1:12, NLT But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. This view of God doesn’t change through the life of the believer; however, as we begin to grow and mature in the knowledge of God, another truth becomes important, as God doesn’t want us to stay children forever. Like every good parent, God wants you to grow, and with growth will come responsibility. Anyone who will ever do anything important in the kingdom must see God not just as a Father but as Lord and Master. This is critical to anything done for the kingdom of God. As a man of God I deeply respect once said: “Children are the responsibility of the kingdom, but sons (people who are mature in the knowledge of God) are responsible for the kingdom. (Pst. Emmanuel Iren)”.
I said all of that to say this: responsibility in the kingdom is aligning oneself and giving oneself to the purpose of God without question. Jesus puts it this way in Luke 9:23, NLT
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.
This means the more mature you are in the knowledge of God, the less of your own way you would want to go. The reason for this is simple; it’s because the mature know that “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12, NKJV). Furthermore, they understand that loving the Lord is keeping His commandments (John 14:15). This throws the mature believer squarely in complete dependence on the Lord and with a burning desire to do only what the Lord wants and what pleases Him. Apostle Paul’s prayer for the saints at Colossae depicts the level of maturity the Lord delights in. Colossians 1:10 (AMPC) says this;
“That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition].”
Notice a critical portion of that text says, “fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things”. Hence, the mature believer wants more than anything else to please the Lord, and if giving up control of their lives, choices, will, and independence will please the Lord, then it’s a worthy sacrifice.
Responsibility in God's kingdom is aligning oneself and giving oneself to the purpose of God without question #prunedlife Share on XYou may be wondering where I am going with this. We are getting there. Now that we have established that the mature believer wants to please God and obey His command, this attitude and desire elicits a response from God. You must understand that God is God-centric, meaning only His counsel and purposes will stand. The writer of the book of Proverbs tells us the following;
“Many plans are in a man’s mind, but it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand.” (Proverbs 19:21 AMPC).
Now you can see that for the mature believer, who must have read this at some point in their lives, it would be folly, and dare I say, disobedience, to seek their own way. Our opening text paints a picture of how God responds when we align ourselves to His purpose and passionately seek its manifestation. God is inclined to make provision for His purpose. Many Christians will struggle with getting God’s provision in their lives, careers and ministry simply because they have not yet fully exchanged their will, plans and purposes for God’s plans and purposes. God is under no obligation to fulfil your plans. Would He be a Sovereign God if He didn’t provide for His purpose? We struggle because we are not mature enough to want what He wants. David understood this deeply when he wrote in Psalm 37:4 (ERV), Enjoy serving the Lord, and he will give you whatever you ask for. Notice that it is in enjoying the service of the Lord that He gives us what we ask for.
Now remember that the mature believer has given up his own plans, so what he will ask for is for God’s purposes to be fulfilled, and that is a prayer God will readily answer. Provision also follows this rule. We come to know Jehovah Jireh when we are ready to sacrifice our Isaacs because the Lord requested it (Genesis 22:14).
The Lord wants us to not just repent from seeking our own will and way. He wants us to be deeply and sincerely committed to Him and His purpose for our lives.
The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:28 NKJV, tells us, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Can you see where this is going? Our mistake is that we ask God to bless what we are doing, and that is a sign of immaturity because the mature Christian will ask, “What is God doing?” and seek to align with whatever that may be. Notice Apostle Paul gives the conditions to have all things work together for good; you must love God and be called according to His purpose. If we must enjoy the best God can do through us and give to us, we must be committed to His purpose. When the disciples obeyed Jesus’ command to go out and preach the gospel of the kingdom, taking nothing with them, they did not lack anything. Outside God’s purpose, God cannot guarantee His provision. Outside God’s purpose, God cannot guarantee His protection. Outside God’s purpose, God cannot guarantee the demonstration of His power.
As you read this, the Lord wants us to not just repent from seeking our own will and way. He wants us to be deeply and sincerely committed to Him and His purpose for our lives. Once we do this, we will undoubtedly enjoy His provision, have His protection and the manifestation of His power. The Bible is replete with examples of how God’s purpose can and should be your daily reality. I pray the Lord helps us. Amen.
